1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an assembly for joining a section of pipe to a pipe fitting and is more particularly directed to an improved assembly which can be used for connecting a pair of axially aligned conduits firmly together and for preventing the conduits from separating when in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several types of pipe junction holders with disengagement preventing means are known in the prior art. One such system is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,036, issued to Sato et al on May 30, 1978. As stated therein, one common type of conventional pipe junction holder comprises a substantially annular body having a plurality of through holes with internal threads, each of the threaded holes being formed so as to readily extend so that its central line may meet at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the aligned pipes. A plurality of bolts are inserted through the holes, each of the bolts having a threaded shank which is normal to the pipe periphery and which passes through the hole so as to engage with the internal threads thereof. These prior art devices include a plurality of push members which are respectively interposed between the bottom end of the threaded shank and the peripheral surface of the pipe on which the pipe junction holder is mounted, each of said push member having at one side a rough, anti-sliding surface which is in contact with the peripheral surface of the pipe.
The patent to Sato et al, supra, describes one of the recent developments in this area. The patent discloses a pipe junction holder having a substantially annular body with which are formed a plurality of spaced clamping blocks comprising a vertical front wall, a pair of vertical side walls, and a lateral top wall. The lateral top wall extends descendingly or downwardly away from the front wall and is formed with a non-threaded hole which is elliptical in shape and which extends with an inclination relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe on which the pipe junction holder is mounted. Within the hole is received a bolt having a shank with an integral annular flange formed therewith, in such a manner that an upper slatted surface of such an annular flange is slidable along a lower slanted surface of the top wall.
Although this last mentioned pipe junction holder works reasonably well, it still contains a rather large number of bolts and tapped threaded holes that need to be made. Of course, these are expensive. It is thus an object of this invention to provide an assembly for joining a section of pipe to a pipe fitting wherein no tapped holes in the assembly are required.
As the result of a search conducted on the present invention, Applicant is aware of the following additional United States Patents:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Issue date ______________________________________ C. B. Reynolds 1,929,826 October 10, 1933 Y. Mathieu 2,543,185 February 27, 1951 R. C. Boughton 2,969,995 January 31, 1961 Rosaire Daigle 4,045,060 August 30, 1977 Charles W. Roche 4,372,587 February 8, 1983 Yamaji et al. 4,417,754 November 29, 1983 ______________________________________
None of the above patents is deemed sufficiently pertinent to require any further comment.